Today's Reading:
1 Kings 17,18,19; Colossians 2
I've added an extra section after my daily devotions. I call it "Personally Speaking" (or "PS" for short) where I share my personal thoughts on what's happening in the world and the Church.
Scripture
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. […] The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.” (1 Kings 19:3, 7-9)
Observation
Elijah is my hero … indomitable and unflappable. Resolute in spirit, he controls droughts and commands the rains. Although there is a bounty on his life, he remains unwavering. He defies Ahab, strikes down more than 800 demonic priests, and outruns chariots! You could make a movie on this guy! But, in the third verse, something seems drastically wrong. Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, is fed up with the prophet and Elijah, “the Unconquerable,” trembles in fear and runs for his life! Was Jezebel some superwoman? I don’t think so. Then, what was it?
By this time, Elijah had to be worn down and depleted. It made him susceptible. The battle on Mt. Carmel had exhausted his system. His constant endeavors, lengthy battles, and being endlessly pursued—yet, still following his unfinished assignment from God—wore him out. That’s when the adversary, Satan, jumped in. He dug in with his claws dripping with the toxins of discouragement and depression. It got to the point where our Israelite hero became so depressed that he couldn’t eat (19:6) and wanted to commit suicide (19:40). This is what we call: “An-all-time low,” but the devil called it: “an opportune moment.”
Application
Each of us will hit these points in our lives, and it will be at moments like these that we must find a Mount Horeb. It could be just spending the day alone with God. It could be a special location or doing something you enjoy. It could be reading a good devotional book or studying one of the Gospels …. But you need to find your Mt. Horeb. If you recall, that’s the same mountain where the burning bush was and where Moses received the 10 Commandments.
But from Mt. Carmel, it took Elijah 40 days just to reach the location. That’s over a month just to get there! But there, Elijah would be able to hear from God. First, there was a wind storm, but God wasn’t in the wind storm. That was followed by an earthquake, but God wasn’t there either. Then came fire, but neither was He in the fire. Finally, a stillness and a quiet. There, God spoke.
We live in such a fast-paced world that we are convinced that, if we take time to be still and get out of the fray, we may miss something. If we don’t check our Facebook or Twitter every day, we won’t know what people think of us! (Oh my, what a travesty!) We convince ourselves that we are indispensable, and if we hide away to hear from God, the world might just pass us by!
Let it go by. Today may be a great day to fast Facebook and take time for God’s Book. When you look at Facebook, all you see is your face. When you look into the Word, you see God’s face.
Prayer
Today Lord is a good time for me to let the world pass by in order to stay in step with You. Speak, Father; Thy servant is listening!
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